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Commentary

UN Security Officer’s Ivory Trafficking Conviction Opens Pandora’s Box of Queries

UN Security Officer’s Ivory Trafficking Conviction Opens Pandora’s Box of Queries

By Chris Morris, International Policy Digest In the shadowy world of ivory trafficking, akin to the narco trade, the stature of the accused is often gauged by the volume of the contraband or the prestige of their legal representation. By such a barometer, Kenya has adjudged a case of seminal importance. On October 23, within the dual-purpose confines of an office and courtroom at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Handrianus Theodore Putra, an Indonesian national with duties as a UN security officer, was convicted and sentenced for possessing and intending to distribute...

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Cameroon’s indigenous Baka sing to save their vanishing forest home

Cameroon’s indigenous Baka sing to save their vanishing forest home

By Ngala Killian Chimtom in Yaounde - RFIIn the south-eastern rainforests of Cameroon, the indigenous Baka people are seeing their habitat decimated by logging, farming, mining and construction. Where once they sang and danced to celebrate a hunt or give thanks to the spirits, their traditional performances have become acts of protest and calls for conservation. The sun has set, but the forest is alive with sounds. The Baka gather around a large fire, their faces glowing in the flickering light. They are ready to celebrate a successful hunt, to honour their ancestors, and to connect with the...

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The Risks of Trophy Hunting

The Risks of Trophy Hunting

By Dr Adam Cruise, Dr Keith Lindsay and Dr Mark Jones This is a response to a document circulated by Brian Child et al entitled Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill: The Risks to Conservation, Rights and Livelihoods. Broadly, the document claims that the Bill will undermine conservation...

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About

The Journal of African Elephants was created by a group of concerned journalists, biologists and conservationists, who, after years of tracking and documenting the catastrophic decline of Africa’s elephant populations, have recognised the urgent need for a dedicated English and French news and commentary space to enhance and increase global awareness of the plight of Africa’s savanna and forest elephants. Our Commentary service, in particular, are writers that focus on the need to provide awareness of Africa’s elephants and affected surrounding human communities from a distinctly African perspective that, for the most part, is lacking in the dominance of Western media.